The Punjab government has issued a formal directive requiring all public offices across the province to complete a full transition to a digital filing platform by July 1. This structural overhaul is designed to eliminate reliance on physical paperwork and significantly reduce administrative expenditures.
Implementation and Oversight
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Expansion of e-FOAS: The E-Filing and Office Automation System (e-FOAS), already in use by central provincial departments, will now be mandatory for all regional and district field offices.
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Ban on Manual Files: Starting next month, manual paper correspondence will be legally prohibited within these offices.
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Fiscal Impact: Official projections indicate that phasing out traditional file systems will save billions of rupees in annual administrative costs.
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Conference Directive: The order was finalized during a Secretaries Conference held at the Civil Secretariat, led by the Chief Secretary and attended by top provincial administrative officials and commissioners.
Objectives of the Digital Transition
According to the Chief Secretary, the digital system serves several strategic goals:
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Transparency: Standardizing administrative operations to ensure greater transparency.
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Efficiency: Decreasing processing delays to improve overall government performance.
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Grievance Resolution: Accelerating the process for addressing public complaints.
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Technical Support: The Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) is responsible for managing the technical shift away from manual record-keeping.
Additionally, the Chief Secretary commended administrative officers and field teams for successfully achieving solid waste management targets during the recent Eid-ul-Azha period despite challenging weather conditions.
